


Feather by Feather

by Beneath_the_Trees



Category: The Pacifier (2005)
Genre: Anxiety, Get together fic, Half-secret relationship, M/M, Theatre, mostly self indulgent, seth is bisexual and prefers girls, shy original character, takes place a year after the movie, theatre tech
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-10-13 00:22:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10502556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beneath_the_Trees/pseuds/Beneath_the_Trees
Summary: "Just go up to him and say, 'Hi, my name is Cecil.' How hard is that?"For Cecil Lammert, it was extremely, unequivocally, terribly hard. Burdened by anxiety, it was difficult to say one word to his year-long crush, Seth Plummer, much less a full sentence. And that was even if he was remembered from the last production the local theatre group put on. Of course, silently going through the motions of the crush in order to get rid of it was no longer an option, as one day Cecil found himself to be the damsel of a love story he didn't realize he signed up for.A year after the events of the movie, Seth has grown into himself and joined the drama and theatre department of his school. He's come to learn things about himself that he didn't know before, and the cute boy who helps out backstage, creating the props and sets or helping the actors memorize their lines wasn't helping the matter.One question started it all, and neither boy expected the story that came with it.





	1. Stand By Your Side Through the Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the events of the movie are going on, Cecil finds himself watching from the sidelines. (Prologue)

"Ugh, Murney's _goons_ are at it again."

Cecil looked up from his history homework, his mechanical pencil's eraser trapped loosely between his teeth as he looked up at his friend Reyna. Reyna had long wavy brown hair reaching her waist wit's teal streaks hidden beneath layers, dark brown eyes, and tanned skin. She was part of the school's choir and drama club/ theatre group, and she had her fair share of popularity while Cecil preferred the small group of friends he had and the quiet school life that came with it. She was pretty, even as she scowled at the wrestling team from her spot on top of the table as they ganged up on Seth Plummer.

Cecil glanced over to the group, frowning. "Why is he vice principal again? He's one of the meanest adults in this school." He winced as Seth stumbled and nearly fell over from a particularly hard shove. "He's abusing his power."

"It's some stupid technical thing." Reyna spat, gritting her teeth before looking down at Cecil, who looked on with the desire to step in and help Seth in his eyes. "If you're worried, why don't you go help him?"

Cecil's head whipped around to face Reyna with wide, almost terrified eyes, and Reyna winced as she realized what that would mean for him. "Oh right, sorry. That's too big a step for you, isn't it?" She said softly, patting the top of his head as he relaxed a little. He looked down sadly, sighing. 

"I should help, though..." He murmured, and Reyna smiled slightly. 

"Don't worry, lover boy. We'll work you up to it."

\------

Cecil sighed softly, brushing a few drops of sweat from his forehead. He was trying to properly build the outline of the mountains for the final scene in the local theatre troupe's rendition of The Sound of Music, but something about the build just didn't look _right_. 

He winced as he heard a small thud, and he leaned back to look at the people currently on the stage from around the curtain. The director looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel as he stood up from his seat and stalked forward towards the strange, where Seth had once again messed up and tripped. He was finding it hard to focus. Cecil was certain of this. He had heard about what happened to the Plummer family, how their father had died after being missing for a long time, and knew that there was no way Seth was probably focusing as well as he could be.

He was amazed Seth took the director's harsh criticizing so well

"Hey, kid, focus will you? We need these sets done by the end of the week!" Cecil jumped as he was addressed by the director, cheeks flushing as all eyes ended up on him. He smiled nervously and felt his heart rate skyrocket.

"Sorry sir. It won't happen again." He said quickly, going back to fixing the mountain's outline and carefully wrapping the paper around it as he tried to will his heart to stop pounding so harshly. 

He listened to the group's practice, smiling every time Seth did something right, and silently cheering him on. He finished the third mountain, humming along softly to the song they were practicing.

He moved on to the next prop, helping one of the other technical crew's members.

\------

"Hey, Seth, you need to wake up. Seth? Seth!" Cecil jumped as a thud and a short yelp accompanied the shout of the boy's name, and he looked over to see Seth quickly sitting up from the ground, eyes wide in surprise as he seemed to take in just where he was. Seth's friend sighed, shaking his head as he laughed. "Dude, did you catch any of that lesson?"

"Uh...."

"Hey, Cecil!" 

Cecil looked towards the door when he heard his voice, smiling when he saw his other friend, Noah. Noah had short light brown hair and green eyes, his skin pale. He was a lot more buff than Cecil or Reyna, although that wasn't saying too much, and was a part of the soccer team. He was also one of the school's best film students. He grinned, motioning Cecil over with a wave of his hand. Cecil grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder, and he walked over to where Noah was leaning against the doorframe. "What's up, Noah?" 

"I need your technical expertise for a film project. Mr. Shaw already said it was alright for you to help me- said you were actually ahead in the course work?" The way he said that made Cecil looked down and kick at the ground.

"I don't have a lot of time for homework while helping with the musical sets, and the concepts are easy enough to understand, so I cleared my schedule by finishing up the next month's worth of homework." He explained, and Noah laughed, ruffling his hair. 

"I see, I see. Well then, come with me." He grabbed Cecil's wrist and led him outside the classroom, towards an area of the hallway very few people tread at the time. "So, have you seen the buff guy who brought the Plummers to school yet?"

Cecil shook his head, eyebrows furrowing. "No, I haven't... Why?" 

"Well, don't you think it's weird? I mean, on my way to your classroom, I saw him looking through binoculars to watch them!" Noah whispered harshly, almost like it was conspirators, and Cecil sighed, shaking his head.

"Noah. It's none of our business why he's here. Now, what'd you need help with?"

\----------

Cecil frowned, watching the wrestlers shove Seth around. Reyna scoffed in annoyance, and Noah growled slightly. "Those guys will do anything to get on Murney's good side." Noah snapped ferociously, already starting to step forward like he was going to do something. Reyna and Cecil quickly grabbed his wrists, keeping him in place.

"Woah there, cowboy!" Reyna said quickly, eyes worried. "They are under Murney's protection. You, however, are not. He could easily slam you into detention faster than we could blink if you step in."

"Let the guy who came with them to school take care of it!" Cecil added quickly, seeing the man come over. The man went to the group, grabbing Seth by the sides and picking him up to move him behind him. Noah instantly relaxed, which meant Reyna and Cecil did, too. 

"Enough." The man said calmly, and Murney walked over. 

"All right, you heard the lady." Their vice principal mocked, "Let's break it up, guys. Come on." He motioned them forward, and the wrestlers left along with most of the group around them, but Cecil and his friends stayed to watch. "Relax, Popeye. Boys will be boys, huh? Anyway, it's kind of good for the creeper. Gives him a chance to punk up."

Cecil glared at Murney at that, looking away after a moment to see how Seth was taking this. He didn't look happy. 

"Six against one?" 

"Well you know, the odds are never pretty." Noah growled, his hands clenching into fists. 

"Why that no good, selfish, arrogant-" Cecil and Reyna tensed again, pulling their friend away before he decided to punch their vice principal and get himself suspended or worse.

"Okay, that's enough spectating for one day." Cecil commented, glancing behind himself to the trio. He winced as Murney did one of those odd show-off things that just make people cringe, and he sighed heavily. "Murney's just making a fool of himself, at this point."

"One day. One day, he will get his butt handed to him and I will gladly watch it." Noah grumbled, and Reyna patted his back, smiling gently. 

"Don't worry. If things like this keep happening, he will definitely get what's coming to him." She promised, grinning.

They found a table to eat lunch at, and Cecil found he was glad for the distraction.

\-------

 When Seth came into school a week later with his hair dyed blond and cut short like Noah's, Cecil was almost sure his heart just about stopped. Reyna grinned wolfishly and started teasing him about it, and Noah simply laughed and pointed out Cecil was blushing so much he looked like a tomato, ruffling his hair again as he did.

"Wow, I bet if Seth asked you to do anything, you'd do it in a heart beat." He commented, lightly patting Cecil's cheek in a brotherly way. Cecil simply blushed more, hiding his face in his hands. 

"I genuinely didn't think he could get more attractive." He mumbled into his hands, and Reyna groaned playfully.

"Ugh, your crush is so sickeningly sweet it nearly makes me want to gag." She teased, rolling her eyes lightly before looking at Seth again. "Although he is hotter now." 

"See!" Cecil motioned in his direction, biting his lip. "See! He's- I didn't-" Cecil groaned, hiding his head in his hands again. "I knew this was coming and I still couldn't handle it."

Reyna laughed, cooing softly at Cecil. "Aw, Noah! Our little Cecil's growing up!"

"...Shut up." Cecil grumbled in defeat, feeling her hand pat his shoulder a moment later. "Just let me wallow in despair, please."

 Reyna laughed and cooed again, hugging him a bit. "It'll be alright. You'll see."

Cecil missed the way Noah and Reyna glanced at each other and slowly grinned.

\--------

That day at practice, Seth was even more out of it than normal, and it seemed only Cecil could tell. He winced as Seth dropped his partner, and frowned as the director got mad. He stepped back when the director came up on stage, sighing heavily and Seth seemed to try his hardest not to do something like panic or get super upset. Cecil sort of shuffled around, wanting to go to Seth's side.

"We open in a week, people." The director started, "The set isn't finished."

"We're trying, geez..." Cecil muttered, frowning, it really didn't help he was the only full time tech person there, while the others were also actors. 

"Mother Abbess just quit because she got shingles!" The director turned to Seth, frowning at the boy. "And every step-ball change would make Bob Fosse rise from the grave just so he could have a heart attack again!" The director shouted dramatically to Seth, making Cecil flinch. He growled slightly in annoyance, stepping a bit closer to the two.

"I'm really sorry, I'll get it right."

"No you won't, Seth!" The director said sharply, standing and turning to Seth's partner. "You and your mother here _can't_ get it right." Cecil's frown deepened. Alright, two more strikes for Mr. Snappy-snap director over here. One more and Cecil will have lost every shred of respect he had for the man. "And I know this because I am a professional. I directed _Show Boat_  with Greg Brady. It wasn't Union, but it was good." He said almost cockily, before proceeding to lean on one of the mountain props Cecil had finished and tear a large hole straight through the paper.

There went the last shred of respect Cecil held.

The director stood up, moving hair from his face before saying, "Obviously, I quit! Exeunt stage right!" The director stepped over Seth and Cecil immediately went over to the broken prop when he noticed the man from school come over to Seth after his partner threatened him about dropping her.

"Be nicer to Seth." He told her quietly as she passed, nearly squeaking when he was given a glare. After she passed Cecil slapped his face, sighing heavily as he started moving the mountain out of the way so that he could repair it. Although, without a director, he wasn't sure if they'd need it. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he studied the gigantic tear. "To replace, or not replace, that is the question...." He muttered, before stepping through the hole and lifting up the torn edge until it was as level as it was going to get with the other part.

"Company. Center stage." The man watching Seth said loudly, and Cecil lowered the tear, blinking at the man curiously. "Company! Center stage!" Cecil followed the others and ignored their whisperings, watching the man closely. "Now, do you or do you not have what it takes to perform this musical?" He asked once everyone had their eyes on him. Cecil suddenly found himself understanding who this guy was and why he was probably with the Plummers, listening to his speech. He had the same air and talked like his mother did before she died. Instinctively, Cecil straightened his back.

"We don't have a director." Seth's partner said, stating the obvious. The man simply smirked for a quick moment before pacing in front of them.

"I've directed rescue missions all around the world. I've directed numerous snatch-and-grabs from countries whose names you are not allowed to know. I've choreographed multi-pronged amphibious landings and stealth air attacks! Do you think I have the military proficiency to direct this production?"

"Yes." Seth said confidently, while Cecil added his own less confident one.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, sir!" The entire group said confidently, and Cecil smiled. This could be fun.

\-----

 Cecil frowned when he heard shouting coming from the bleachers, seeing Murney dragging Seth out from behind them. He stopped and turned to follow, causing Reyna and Noah to pause in their conversation. "Cecil?"

"Murney's taking Seth to Lieutenant Wolfe!" He said, and a second later he heard footsteps following him.

He stopped running when he grew close to them, Reyna and Noah stopping beside him as Murney started speaking to Shane.

"Okay, I've had it. I caught the kid dancing under the bleachers to no music." Murney snapped, jabbing a finger at Seth and doing more motions with his hands. "I want him out of my class.. Somebody's gotta give this punk a talking to."

"He's just practicing... what's wrong with that?" Cecil mumbled, looking down, and Shane side-eyed the small group of teens along with Seth.

"Seth?" Shane asked calmly, and Seth looked back to Murney.

"Well, you got something to say, twinkle toes?" Murney taunted, and once again Cecil and Reyna had to hold back Noah.

"Your temper is going to be the death of you some day, Noah!" Reyna snapped quietly, frowning, before grumbling, "Even if Murney does deserve it."

Seth looked back at Shane before looking back at Murney, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah. Yeah, I do, Murney. I quit!"

Cecil smiled at his words, glad Seth was finally sticking up for himself, but Murney simply scoffed and once again acted mean and proved himself rather unworthy of being vice principal. "You quit. You know why you quit? Because you're a quitter. And everybody knows that quitters... quit." Reyna groaned, shaking her head, and Cecil sighed. Noah slapped a hand to his forehead. "What are you scared of, huh, Prancer?"

"I'm not scared. I want to act." Seth said, voice soft but filled with passion. Cecil felt his heart flutter, but he quickly stomped down the feeling, simply smiling at Seth.

"And I want to take up origami."

"I'm in _The Sound of Music_."

"Oh, a musical. So you're giving up wrestling, to be in a musical- you see that's what happens when there isn't a man in the house." At that, Shane had to give Cecil and his friends a look to tell them to stay out of it, all three of them getting mad at Murney then.

"There is a man in the house!" Seth snapped right back, confident. "It's me."

Murney laughed breathily, voice unbelieving. "Well, it's gotta be a tiny house." He said, continuing to laugh while Noah growled viciously and Seth shook his head. "You think you're tough, boy, don't you? Hmm? Wanna shave the tiger? Do you? Huh?"

 Cecil watched as Shane slowly stood up, expression ever so slightly angered as he turned to Murney. "Where'd you wanna do this?"

"What are you talking about, babysitter?"

"You said you wanted to wrestle. Where? When?" Cecil hated how smug Murney looked after Shane asked this, and he was going to be very happy when Shane wiped the floor with him.

"After school."

"Okay. Today?" Shane asked with a smile that transitioned into a smirk. Murney let out a hum of confirmation.

"That's right. The gym. Okay?" Cecil turned away from the two when he heard a piece of paper tearing from a notebook, only to see Reyna hold up a note with a large smirk, tossing it to one of her friends, who caught it almost effortlessly.

_**Murney is getting his butt kicked.** _

_**3:00**_ \------

Cecil laughed, grinning as Shane captured the attention of the juniors and seniors of the school, teaching them a little on how to beat someone at wrestling and making Murney look like a fool. Noah was grinning, recording it all on his phone. Reyna clapped, listening with rapt attention and silently cheering "Finally" under her breath.

"Alright Lieutenant Wolfe!" He cheered when he pinned Murney. Everyone left school happy that day, and videos of Murney's defeat spread like wildfire, making Shane one of the best things to every happen to the school.

\------

"Hey, Cecil." Cecil yelped slightly when he was called, looking behind himself to see Shane standing there. Cecil sighed, placing a hand to his chest to calm his rapid heartbeat.

"Oh, hello sir." He said, placing down his paintbrush. He was glad he was only doing the base coatings right now, or else he would have messed up. He stood up, brushing his hands on his overalls and effectively adding to the pain stains coating them. "What do you need?"

"I apologize for startling you. I just wanted to ask some questions." Shane smiled gently, motioning him to the chairs of the auditorium. Cecil gulped slightly, suddenly nervous. Shane noticed and he held up a hand. "Stand down. Everything's alright it's not bad."

Cecil laughed bitterly. "That doesn't help much." He said softly, following Shane to the seats. The others had already left for the night, but since their deadline was quickly approaching and they still had so much to do, Cecil was working away on the sets.

"You know, I've been here for three days now and I still can't believe you are the only theatre technician that isn't also an actor in the troupe." Shane started, and Cecil shrugged.

"It pays good, and they need all the help they can get. I help out the school for their productions."

"You don't want to act? I see you looking at the stage quite often."

Cecil blushed darkly and he quickly shook his head. "N-No way, uh-uh. I have enough anxiety as it is, to be honest. Stage fright won't help."

"Is that why you never step in at school even though you look like you want to?" Cecil blushed more and looked down, nodding.

"My friends are helping me work on it... Anyway, is there something else you wanted?"

Shane hummed, raising an eyebrow at the change in topic. "Well, yes. I was wondering, are you Major Eve Lammert's son?" Cecil tensed, nodding, and Shane let out a small "Oh." "I thought so... you look a lot like her, you know? I knew her, before she died and I became a teams man."

"You- You did?" Cecil looked at Shane with wide eyes, and he nodded.

"Yes. She used to talk about you all the time. You were her pride and joy. I'm sorry about what happened." Shane said softly, and Cecil laughed softly, shaking his head.

"Haha, wow. That.... That sounds like her alright." Cecil sighed, looking at Shane. "This is weird...." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is that all you wanted to talk about? If so, I should get back to work... we're running out of time, and there's still so much to do."

"Don't you have to go home and do homework?" Shane asked, and Cecil grinned. "I'm ahead in all the classes I have homework for, if I can't get them done during the day."

"Really?" Shane asked, pleasantly surprised. When Cecil nodded, he laughed slightly. "Wow, that's some dedication."

"I take pride in managing my time." Cecil said proudly, grinning. "Now, sir, if you don't mind, permission to go back to work?"

Shane chuckled. "Permission granted. Will you be alright by yourself?"

"Yes sir. Everything will be fine."

"Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow." Shane stood, waving goodbye to Cecil as he left the theatre and leaving Cecil all by his lonesome. Cecil sighed, stretching, and he went back to the set pieces, going back to painting them after setting a timer on his phone.

\-----

Cecil sat in the audience, watching with rapt attention as Seth and the rest of the theatre troupe took to the stage, performing the musical without a hitch. Reyna leaned over to the side, whispering to him during the intermission. "I can see why you've started crushing on him. He's _good_. Mind if I recruit him?"

 "Go right ahead." Cecil said softly, smiling shyly as he blushed lightly. "That means more time I get to see him."

"Will do." Reyna ruffled his hair, and he playfully swatted her hand away.

Little did Cecil know, that that would be the start of a love story only found in movies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, before you continue or leave the story, I'd like to make something clear. 
> 
> In another fandom of mine, there are people upset with others for calling a character clearly interested in (at least) girls bisexual, "just so that they can ship him with guys", even though he has not been explained to be straight and has plenty of chemistry with some of the male characters to very possibly end up in a male/male relationship. To be honest, I found their comments rude, but that's why I'm writing this note- and who knows, maybe I'm just being a fragile human being offended by the littlest thing. ANYWAY-
> 
> I have made Seth bisexual because in the movie, he seems to be mainly interested in what girls will think of him for wanting to be a performer, which to me, says that he is definitely interested in girls and as such, at least straight. Thus, he could be straight, bisexual, pansexual, demisexual, or maybe even asexual. I would like for Seth to end up with a guy in this story, so that ruled out straight for me. I chose bisexual because with the information given to me that I noticed in the movie, it was the one that felt like the right choice to go for. If not, I apologize.
> 
> While I am most definitely, ultimately going to place Seth with a guy, I do not want that to subtract from the fact he does in fact, officially, like girls. I will try to let that show in my story, but if that doesn't get across I apologize and did not mean it that way.
> 
> I apologize for the long note, but I just wanted this to be clear. If you took the time to read this, I thank you, and please, let me know what I can do to make this point clear without offending anyone.


	2. The Start of Something

Almost a year from the day Lietenant Wolfe came into the school's life, and not much had changed as a whole. The school's wrestling team had become a lot stronger with his expertise, and were probably on their way to becoming undefeated. Seth had been recruited by the drama and theatre kids, and he had never seemed more at ease with himself. He was where he should be. Cecil, of course, still couldn't work up the courage to speak to him outside of productions and when he's building sets and props, and his crush hadn't died down at all in the past year liked he hoped it would.

Cecil watched from the sidelines as the theatre kids practiced improve, keeping a close eye on Reyna and Seth when it was their turn. He noticed that, really, not much had changed for the two physically in the past year. Reyna's hair now had crimson red streaks instead of teal, blending in with her hair a bit better, and Seth had grown out his hair a little bit again. While he had re-dyed it to something close to his natural hair color, it was the lightest shade of brown he could get before turning it blond. Cecil smiled, watching the two with fondness as they started to improvise a scene together.

Ever since Reyna managed to recruit Seth after he came out about wanting to act, he had become much happier and more confident in himself. He looked like he had found when he belonged, and Cecil was happy for him. He was also happy, of course, that he could now spend more time with him. He knew nothing would come of it, seeing as Seth seemed to only have eyes for girls from what Cecil has seen so far. He was okay with that, though. As long as Seth was happy, he was fine with whatever the boy wanted for himself- especially since they weren't on any type of personal relationship level.

"Why must you be so difficult?! Madam, I just need you to sign these papers-"

"I keep telling you, I ordered a live tiger, not a  _bear cub_! I refuse to sign those papers!" Reyna snapped in a fake holier-than-thou accent as she crossed her arms and tilted her head up and away. Seth groaned, hands holding out the invisible papers and pen falling to his side.

"The order clearly states that you had a bear cub, madam!"

"What am I supposed to do with a bear cub?!" Reyna groaned, throwing her hands into the air, and Seth shrugged. 

"I don't know, why not make it your guard dog?"

Cecil and a few others laughed, and Reyna cracked a smile, gasping dramatically. "A guard dog, you say?" At Seth hesitant nod, Reyna turned to ponder this idea. "Why, that's not a bad idea! I'd need a very big surplus of fish, however...." Reyna hummed, tapping her chin in thought. "My good sir, I believe I will seeing you again in a few weeks time with those fish!" She grinned, looking towards the imaginary crate with the bear in it. "Now.... Would you mind helping me get this boy into the forest behind my home?"

Seth looked at the crate, humming slightly. "Sure!" They moved over to the "crate" and started to lift it so they could place it back on the imaginary carrier, when someone else used their phone to play the sound of a bear cub roaring. 

Reyna and Seth froze, and Seth peeked out from around the edge of the crate to look at her. "The little guy is still under anesthesia, right?"

"And scene!" The teacher, Ms. Yarnel, said loudly, and Reyna and Seth relaxed, shaking hands and complimenting each other as the rest of the kids clapped before going back to their seats. Cecil gave Reyna a small high-five when she settled beside him again. Ms. Yarnel walked onto the stage, smiling at the theatre group.

"Alright kids. The next play is right around the corner, so I would like you all to try and find a production that you want us to do- but remember, last year we did Twelve Angry 'Jurors' and The Wizard of Oz, so those are definitely off the list. Technical theatre kids, you will be looking over the production options the others bring to you to determine if you'll be able to make the sets in time, and then they can bring them to me for the final look-through. In one week, we'll have a group vote for the top five, and then a few days after we'll have the final vote." 

The bell that signaled the end of after-school hours went off, and Ms. Yarnel clapped twice before waving everyone off as they gathered their stuff. "Alright, grab your things and head on home! I hope to see plenty of scripts over the week!" 

"Bye Ms. Yarnel!" Cecil and Reyna called as they left. He glanced at Seth, watching as he headed towards the gym to meet his sister Zoe from cheer practice.

"Alright.... Should we meet Noah from practice, or do you want me take you home?" Reyna asked, fishing her keys from her purse and twirling them around her fingers.

"Noah's practice is going until six though, isn't it?" Cecil asked, glancing at her.

Reyna shrugged, grinning. "We could always double check, don'tcha think?" She caught her keys and grabbed Cecil's hand, leading him through the building towards the gym and the sports field.

"Wait, why don't we-" 

"Hush, lover boy!"

Cecil blushed darkly, hanging his head shyly. "Please stop calling me that."

"No can do. Now, do you want to see Seth a little longer or no?"

"No, actually. I'm not going to talk to him, so this would literally just make me a stalker." Cecil said sternly, looking pointedly at Reyna, who simply grinned.

"No one said _I_  couldn't talk to him." She went to the gym, checking inside to see if Seth and Zoe were there. She laughed triumphantly when she saw they were, and she opened the door, walking in. Cecil very quickly pulled his hand free of her's as she called out "Hey, Seth!", and he stayed by the gym's entrance.

Seth stopped talking to Zoe and turned at the sound of his name, eyes widening slightly when he saw Reyna walking over. "Oh, hey Reyna. Did you need something?"

Cecil looked away after a few minutes, rubbing his arm nervously and rocking on his heels as Reyna asked Seth random questions for ideas for the production and other things until Zoe came back, showered and cheer outfit packed away in her gym bag. 

\-----

"Cecil, Cecil! What do you think about this being the school's next production?!" Reyna asked, holding a script out in front of her and nearly shoving it into his face. Cecil grabbed her wrists and moved her hands back so that he could read the title. 

" _The Lion King_?" He asked, looking at Reyna as she lowered the script and nodded. He shrugged his shoulders, smiling at her and lightly ruffling her hair. "I don't see why not. Me and the other technicians can make the sets, no problem."

Reyna cheered, punching the air. "Great! I'll go talk to Ms. Yarnel about it, then!" She darted down the hall, dodging students with ease, and Cecil momentarily wondered just how much sugar she'd had today.

"Well that's just rude." Noah commented, arms crossed over his chest as he walked over to Cecil from the direction Reyna ran off. "She didn't even say hi!"

"She's really excited to have the school's next production hopefully be _The Lion King_." Cecil explained with a small laugh, and Noah grinned.

"Clearly. Now then, let me steal you away for a bit? I have an idea for my next film, and I need your help making props again." Cecil rolled his eyes at his words, giving his friend an amused smile.

"You're lucky I'm your friend, Noah, otherwise I would make you pay me for all this set and prop building you make me do."

Noah gasped dramatically, a hand to his chest. "I help you! I can't believe you would make me pay you!" Cecil laughed, shaking his head. Noah grinned, slinging an arm over his shoulders and leading Cecil towards their next class. "Now then, let me tell you what the idea is.... See, I was thinking about doing a stop motion film revolving around a girl and her dog...."

Cecil nodded, listening as Noah explained his next film idea. "Do you want me to make the characters as well? Or just the background sets?" He asked when he was done, and Noah smiled.

"I can do the characters myself, don't worry! You'll be busy with other stuff, right? The local theatre troupe will need your help again in a few weeks, and the school's play is in a few months. You won't have the time." Cecil nodded in agreement, but smiled at him a moment later.

"Sounds good to me. Just know I'm getting your stuff done first, and if the other stuff comes up while doing it, your stuff gets pushed back a bit. Three set-making jobs are things I can't finish super early like course work, and the theatre stuff is more important."

"Totally understandable, don't worry about it!" Noah grinned, patting Cecil's shoulder. "If needed, I'll just take over- I do a pretty decent job myself, you know."

Cecil smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I do. I've seen your work from before I joined the team."

Noah laughed, blushing lightly in embarrassment. "Oh, please don't remind me of those terrible films. I can't believe I was so proud of those."

"That just means you're improving. It's a good thing."

\--------

That week, Cecil found himself talking to many freshman theatre kids and just as many theatre tech kids, since they wanted his opinion as one of the four senior technicians. He was approving or denying scripts left and right, and by the end of it he just wanted to crawl into a hole and omit any other procedure revolving people in general for a few days. He was grateful that Noah and Reyna gave him space after a few days, understanding how exhausted he could get from talking to so many people. He also wished that more of the now-Seniors had decided to stay on the crew, because so few upperclassman, and in turn, senior technicians, made more work for the four that stayed, and they constantly got swamped with work.

"Um, I think we could try to do this, but... That's a lot of scene changes." He explained to a sophomore, looking over a script for "The Seventh Dwarf". He recognized the title from the movie of the same name that created the screenplay, and as he skimmed through the script, saw just how difficult it could end up. "So many props, sets, and costumes.... I don't think it's a good idea for us to put this as our production.... Sorry, Sam."

The kid groaned, taking the script from Cecil as he smiled apologetically. "Aw, man. You sure we can't do it, Cecil?"

"I mean, we _could_ , but it's too difficult for the amount of people we have right now. Too many kids are still learning the ropes, and the actual nights you and the others perform, well, I can't think something _won't_  go wrong." Cecil explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a creative idea- I'd love to do it as well, but it's just not the right thing for us right now. Maybe next year." 

Sam sighed, nodding in defeat. "Alright. Thanks for the help, Cecil."

"Try bringing something else over tomorrow! You still have one last day to bring in ideas." He said as Sam turned around to head back down the hall. Sam gave him a small sound of acknowledgement before waving goodbye and leaving, and Cecil sighed heavily when he was alone, running a hand through his hair. "That never gets easier...." He mumbled, before turning to head towards his next class, which happened to be theatre tech.

He walked in a few seconds before the bell and made his way to the bleachers against the far wall, finding comfort in the scent of wood and paint the backstage area had. He sat down and waited, not sure of Ms. Yarnel had any announcements to make and wanting to wait before starting his own things.  Ms. Yarnel walked out of her office, grinning at the kids. "Alright everyone! If you aren't in independent study, then I need you to listen up!"

Cecil used that as his cue to get up and do his own stuff, so he stood, grabbing his bag, and went over to the corner of the room he deemed his. He draped the plastic tarp he brought from home across the floor, before grabbing the cardboard cutout pieces he needed for Noah's sets and starting to lay them out. He sat in front of them for a minute, tapping his chin as he studied the pieces, trying to see if he missed any labels or design elements. Seeing that nothing was amiss, he stood up once again and went to the paints, getting the base coats for the outdoor scenes. He'd focus solely on the sky and grass for now, and go from there. He mixed the paints and brought the plastic cups of paint back over to his spot, setting them to the side and stacking the set walls he didn't need yet before pulling out his own brushes to work with.

Ever since first semester Freshman year, Cecil preferred to use his own brushes, feeling more comfortable using them and knowing just how they worked, how much pressure was needed before it was too much pressure, or too little. He dipped one of his thicker brushes into the cup of water he had beside the paint, then he dipped it into the sky blue paint, using fast but steady and even strokes as he placed the brush on the cardboard and began to add color to it.

He lost himself in painting the sets, mind going mostly blank, although a small part of it kept trying to make sense of his schedule for the next few months. He was like that for the entire class, and when Ms. Yarnel's voice telling the class to clean up snapped him from his thoughts, he was pleased to see the set pieces ready for the next colors and designs.

The end of the day was just around the corner, and he smiled at the thought. That meant he could go home for a little bit and lock himself away in his room with only his laptop and phone as human communication. He cleaned his brushes and set the sets against the back wall, making sure not to lay anything on top of each other so they had the chance to dry. He sighed softly as the bell rang, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ma'am." He said to Ms. Yarnel as he left, and she smiled, waving.

"Make sure to get some rest, Cecil."

Cecil blushed lightly, nodding a bit before hurrying out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My school had this thing called "Independent Study", and it's basically where if you and the teacher agree to a class period and a certain curriculum (that you don't technically have to follow to the letter), you can do whatever you want in that class, as long as it's for that class. My school had "Theatre Tech 1&2", and after that you could do independent study if you wanted to continue that subject, so that's what Cecil is doing.
> 
> By the way, I was in Drama all through middle school and Freshman year, but I was never actively in plays. So this is creative freedom on how that process works and what it entails, since I personally believe it's different per school or per teacher


	3. To Notice the Unknown

A clatter rang from backstage, followed by the soft hiss of a muttered curse and another small clang. The local troupe looked at each other, the director heaving a long sigh before looking at Seth. "Seth, go make sure that idiot didn't just destroy everything, will you?"

Seth bit his cheek to hold in an insult, probably hating this director's attitude more than the one before Shane. He nodded, walking backstage to see the black-haired boy who always did the sets and props sitting on the ground, holding his hand and glaring angrily at one of the set props that now laid on its side. What was his name again? Cecil?

Seth watched as he lifted his hand to his mouth and licked his palm, his eyes widening slightly when he saw blood on his hand and now his tongue. "Whoa, hey, are you okay?" He asked, rushing over to the boy and nearly missing how the boy startled violently. He clutched at his chest with the hand that wasn't injured, his face turning bright red.

"W-What?" He stuttered as Seth knelt next to him, reaching for his hand to check the wound. The boy jerked it away, and Seth sighed softly.

"Are you okay? That looks like a pretty bad cut." He explained, and the boy turned away his gaze before Seth could make eye contact, curling the injured hand slightly and holding it away from him.

"N-No, I'm alright. I-I just... lost focus for a bit and wasn't paying attention to the prop I was resting my hand on." He murmured, his voice nearly becoming unable to be heard at the end as he curled up away from Seth. Was he scared of him? Seth wondered, feeling a little sad at the thought. He didn't want to scare anyone, much less the only other kid here he knew- and that was only because he vaguely recognized him from school.

"Do you need a doctor?" He asked instead, and the boy- Cecil, he tried to remind himself- shook his head.

"It'll stop bleeding in a bit, and I can paint with one hand. I'll keep working. Sorry for interrupting practice." Cecil said softly, going over to a bag off to the side of the room and grabbing what looked to be a first aid kit from it. Seth looked over his shoulder, hearing the director talking to the others about something, and looked back at the boy, who was cursing quietly and fumbling with a roll of medical tape and a cotton pad, his back turned away from him. Seth suddenly took note of how delicate he looked, and he quickly shook the thought away. He didn't stop studying him for a few more minutes though.

Cecil had tanned skin, his hair slightly wavy and choppily cut with the longest point brushing his t-shirt's collar. He was thin, but he didn't look like he could be snapped in half with even the smallest touches. Seth knew that from watching him in P.E., and from the few days when the troupe was being directed by Shane. In fact, he had handled all those exercises better than he thought he would. He was probably about as fit as Seth himself. He really _couldn't_ deny that something about him did seem rather delicate, though. He wondered what it was.

He looked over to the prop on the ground, noticing it was the spinning wheel. He grabbed the prop, setting it upright once again and noticing with a small frown that the tip of the spindle was almost completely covered in blood. "Ahh.... I have to replace the spindle now." Seth looked up from the prop to see Cecil standing across from him, studying the bloody spindle as he frowned at it. Seth felt his breath escape him when he noticed the color of his eyes.

They were a startling mix of colors backed by hazel.

Movement caught Seth's eyes and he watched as Cecil removed the spindle on the prop with startling ease, tossing it onto the bag he had been standing in front of before. He looked at Seth again, and suddenly his cheeks were flaring with color and he was averting his eyes, clearing his throat nervously. "Um.... Sorry you had to see that. I know blood doesn't usually sit well with people."

"Oh," Seth blinked, shaking his head again. Had he been staring? He has a feeling he had been staring. Abort, abort! "Oh, no, it's really alright." He said with a small laugh. "I should get back to practice, but don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it, okay?"

Cecil nodded, scratching at his cheek. "Okay." He said softly, and Seth made his escape back to the front of the stage.

\-----

"Alright, kids! These are the finalists for this year!" Ms. Yarnel said, removing the cloth covering the whiteboard with a flourish. Seth studied the plays and musicals on the board, taking note of each one.

Seussical the Musical, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and The Wizard of Oz.

He hummed while other people around him either cheered or groaned, smiling at the options on the board. He liked the idea of doing any of them. "We'll be doing a blind vote with Reyna and Cecil keeping track of the votes and making sure no one votes twice. So I'll give you a few minutes to think it over."

Reyna and Cecil stood from the cluster of students, going to stand beside the whiteboard, talking quietly. Seth decided to focus on choosing a play he could remember the script for along with the one for the theatre troupe. After a while, he had a feeling Suessical the Musical might be the best bet, since quite a bit of it could be rhymes, which would make the script easier to remember, wouldn't it?

"Alright, thinking time's up! Now, before we vote, I just want to tell the new kids and remind the older ones that you can audition for any part you'd like! We won't be doing strictly boy/girl roles again this year. Okay?"

A collective "okay" rang out from the kids, and Ms. Yarnell studied the students for a moment before she smiled. "Good! Now close your eyes and raise your hand when the one you want is said."

Seth closed his eyes, waiting for someone to call out the first production.

"Seussical the Musical." Reyna said, and Seth raised his hand until they were told to lower them, listening as the next one was said.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream..... Lower your hands. Romeo and Juliet....."

A small pause, and suddenly a new voice filtered in. "Jeffrey, Annie, you guys voted twice. Come up here and tell us which one you want." Seth nearly blinked, surprised to hear Cecil speak so clearly. The ones who were called out groaned and complained, getting up and walking over to Cecil and Reyna. They whispered their choices to them and went back, and a bit longer of a pause went on before Reyna told the ones who voted for Romeo and Juliet to put their hands down and the ones who wanted Wizard of Oz to raise them.

"Lower your hands and open your eyes, guys!" Reyna said cheerfully, and Seth opened his eyes to see the board covered up again, Cecil twirling the marker in his hand absentmindedly while the other held the cloth over the board with Reyna on the other side, looking rather giddy and pleased with herself as she held her own side of the cloth. "Ready for the results?"

A collection of shouts, and Reyna's grin grew. "Three,"

"Two," Cecil said, rolling his eyes a bit as he smiled at Reyna, who giggled.

"One!" They said together, pulling the cloth down and showing the results, the one that won circled multiple times.

Seussical: 9

A Midsummer Night's Dream:3

Romeo and Juliet:10

Wizard of Oz: 8

Seth felt his heart sink a bit at the fact the one he liked hadn't won, but he couldn't complain much. He liked all of the options, and for the most part, he already knows a good portion of Romeo and Juliet because of classwork in English. Ms. Yarnel clapped a bit, smiling. "Wonderful! Romeo and Juliet it is!" She went to the file cabinets and crates full of scripts in one corner of the room, grabbing one of the crates. Cecil saw this and rushed over, picking it up for her with ease. Seth smiled, chuckling softly when Ms. Yarnel made a small show of fawning over his generosity, causing his cheeks to turn dark red. They came back over and Cecil set down the crate before grabbing a large handful of books, Reyna doing the same, as well as a few other kids. They started to hand them out as Ms. Yarnel started talking again. "Now then, actors! I want you to study the highlighted scenes in your books- those are the audition scenes! Pick who you want to try out for, study their lines, you know the drill from last semester. Auditions will be held on the first of next month, which give you three weeks to study, got it?"

Seth paged through his book, skimming over the lines he'd need to study. He wasn't sure who he wanted to try out for, but he supposed it all came down to whether or not he'd want to stage kiss a possible guy or not. He paused as he thought about it, blinking a bit as he realized something.

That thought didn't worry him as much as he thought it would. in fact, he found he definitely wouldn't mind it.

"Huh..." He murmured, curious by his own reaction towards it, but not all that unfamiliar about it. He realized a while ago that he enjoyed looking at and, quite possibly, dating both boys and girls, but he had never really _thought_ about it. He hadn't actually thought he'd be perfectly fine with kissing either of them, even if it was a stage kiss where you cover their mouth with your thumb to keep your lips from touching. He hadn't even thought about _courting_ a guy.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of someone saying his name, and he smiled a bit when he saw it was Reyna. He wouldn't mind if he had to kiss her, he thought briefly as she knelt in front of him. "So, who you planning on trying out for?" She asked, and Seth shrugged.

"I don't know. Probably not one of the leads, I need to make sure I remember both this and Sleeping Beauty." He said with a small laugh, and Reyna let out a happy laugh of her own.

"Oh, right! I forgot you're also in that. It certainly sucks though, if you aren't going to try out for say.... Romeo." She laughed again, smiling gently. "Quite a few people would love to see you act like a love struck teen, or even fake-kiss you." Her eyes had an odd glimmer to them when she said that, making Seth a little nervous.

"Are you one of those people?" He asked without thinking too much, and Reyna smiled apologetically, shaking her head.

"At one point, perhaps. Alas, my heart has been taken by another. Besides, you... aren't _really_ my type." She stood, sighing softly as she brushed non-existent dirt off her legs. "Well, please consider trying out for Romeo. It'd mean quite a lot if you did."

Seth nodded after a moment. He supposed it couldn't hurt. "Okay, I'll try." He said after a moment, and Reyna grinned.

"Great! Well, I'll be leaving you to your own devices now. Just thought I'd come to say hi." She left after that, and Seth watched as she went over to Cecil, who had a copy of _Romeo & Juliet_ in one hand and a pencil in the other, a notebook perched carefully on his lap as he chewed on the drawstring of his jacket and wrote things down furiously.  She said something, startling the boy quite badly and making him look up at her with a dark red face. Seth tried not to smile, feeling a small flutter in his chest at the sight, and he quickly looked back down at his own copy of the book, shaking his head a little.

Focus, Seth. Focus.


End file.
